Roller cane to aid the handicapped person in walking and in maneuvering

ABSTRACT

A useful cane assembly for the handicapped for walking and maneuvering with ease, having the person&#39;s weight on the cane assembly being continuously supported. Cane 1, is supported by base 4, which is on wheels 5 and 6.

BACKGROUND ART

Many prior art of canes for the handicapped are available. Acceptedpractice has been an upright stick or cane, to support the user inwalking.

Needless to expand the description and the list of a myriad of differenttype of canes, since all the canes have been similarly constructed bythe same fundamental concept design. All of the above differs from theinstant invention.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide a simple device to continuallysupport the handicapped person in walking and maneuvering. The inventionallows the weight applied by the handicapped on the cane to be supportedfrom the floor at all times, thus allowing the user to walk in differentdirections and to maneuver with steady support.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a cane which does notrequire to be lifted off the floor in walking and maneuvering.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention is essentially a cane mounted on a base, havingfour wheels, two of which are swivels and two are fixed. The four wheelsare positioned on the base within a configuration for stability inwalking and maneuverability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the roller cane showing the components of thesystem embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view, from the top, showing the geometricalconfiguration of the wheels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The inventive system comprises a conformable cane assembly forsupporting the handicapped person and a conformable base with wheels.

Cane assembly 12, FIG. 1, shown and described in its normal condition,is made up of a cylindrical tube 1, having a curve 2 at the upper partfor hand gripping, and a suitable fitting 3 at the bottom to attach tothe base 4, as to make one solid assembly. Wheels 5 are attached to thebase 4, and they are the front wheels and of the swivel type. Wheels 6are attached to the base 4, and are the rear wheels and of the fixedtype.

The base and the wheels geometrical configuration, illustrated in FIG.2, are positioned in a specific way as to provide maneuverability in theswivel wheels and the stability in the fixed wheels. To better emphasizethe concept of maneuverability and stability, the ratio between thecenter distance 9, and the rear wheels axial length 7 has a value offour to one, and the ratio of the axial length of the front pair 8 andrear pair of wheels 7 is two to one. These ratios have shown optimumperformance, however slight deviations have functioned satisfactorily.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cane assembly comprising a cylindrical tube, acurved handle, and a base bracket, wherein the tube has an upper andlower end, said handle extending from said upper end, said base bracketbeing attached to said lower end at approximately a mid-point of saidbracket, said bracket having a front and rear end, wherein two frontswivel wheels are attached to the front end and two fixed rear wheelsare attached to said rear end.
 2. The cane assembly according to claim1, the front wheels spaced wider apart than the rear wheels, the ratioof the front axial length to the rear axial length is two to one, andthe ratio of their center distance with respect to the rear axial lengthis four to one.
 3. A cane assembly as per claim 2 which always remainsin contact with the floor or pavement, without needing to be lifted offthe floor to advance walking.